APS -70th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics- Event - Miniaturized inertial impactor for personal airborne particulate monitoring: Prototyping

摘要

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations allowed us to conceive and designa miniaturized inertial impactor able to collect fine airborne particulate matter (PM$_{10}$,PM$_{2.5}$ and PM$_{1}$). We created, by 3D printing, a prototype of the impactor. We first performed a set of experiments by applying a suction pump to the outletsand sampling the airborne particulate of our laboratory. The analysis of the slide showed a collection of a large number ofparticles, spanning a wide range of sizes, organized in a narrow band located belowthe exit of the nozzle. In order to show thatour miniaturized inertial impactor can be truly used as a personal air-quality monitor,we performed a second set of experiments where the suction needed to producethe airflow through the impactor is generated by a human being inhaling through the outlets of the prototype. To guarantee a number of particles sufficient toperform a quantitative characterization, we collected particles performing ten consecutive deep inhalations. Finally, the potentiality for realistic applications of our miniaturized inertial impactor used in combination with a miniaturized single-particle detector will be discussed.